Save My Life Again
by misty234
Summary: Liz Greene is the 16 year old daughter of Zeus. Her best friend is the famous Leo Valdez. Liz and Leo both have special talents, and they are needed. Trouble is brewing, and only this pair can stop them. Also, they have started to realize new feelings for each other! Rated T because I'm paranoid. R&R! ;)
1. Chapter 1

**~Author's note~**

**Hello people of earth! This is my first story on this website, so it may be stupid. But it does have the much loved Leo Valdez in it, and all da ladies love Leo! Ok. Random outburst. Anyways, please read and review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

Save My Life Again

Chapter 1

I walked out of the Zeus cabin, and it hit me. It was freezing! Since the weather at Camp Half – Blood was enchanted, it had never been this cold. "Oh well," I whispered to myself. It was nearly Christmas, so maybe this cold was natural. I walked past cabins six, seven, eight, and stopped at nine. The door burst open, and smoke billowed out. A short, curly – haired boy followed, coughing. I smiled. Before I could even see his face, I knew it was Leo Valdez, my best friend.

Leo grinned when he saw me. "Hey Liz!" he said, jogging over to me.

"Hey Leo," I said. I pointed to the smoking entrance of the Hephaestus cabin. "Um… what happened there?" I asked.

"Oh, I might have caught my new smoke bomb on fire." He said. "But that's not important. What's new with you?"

"I was just going to take a walk in the woods," I explained, pointing to the trees. "Wanna come with?"

"I would love to," he replied. "But, totally social Leo here is extremely busy."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. Leo is unsocial." He admitted. "Let's go!"

As we made our way through the woods, the sun started to go down. It was getting even colder. I knew Leo didn't feel it though. He was always warm, for obvious reasons.

Despite the cold, it wasn't windy at all. As the daughter of Zeus, I could control the winds. Yet when I summoned some wind, nothing happened. I tried again, harder. Still nothing. "That's odd." I said aloud.

"What's odd?" asked Leo.

"I willed some wind, but nothing happened." I replied.

"Maybe you're just tired." Said Leo.

That sounded pretty reasonable, so I let it go. After walking a bit farther, I stopped in my tracks.

"Why'd you stop?" asked Leo, also halting.

"Something's not right." I replied, my eyes wide. Maybe it was my ESP. **(ESP is when someone has mild physic abilities, such as predicting the future.)** It was always freaking me out, always giving me false signals. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell if this was false or not. I got a chill up my spine, and I knew that this was real. I grabbed Leo's hand. "Run!" I yelled, bolting in the direction we came from.

We ran as fast as we could, jumping over logs and flattening weeds. I glanced at my arm and saw about half a dozen scratches. Blood seeped out of a few of them. I realized that I also had new scratches on any bare skin. I heard a loud grumbling noise that made my skin crawl.

Leo looked over his shoulder, and then back at me. "Uh, Liz," he said, clearly scared. "You might want to see what's following us."

I glanced in the other direction, and I was horrified. Black fire was seeping through the branches and closing in around us. "Can you control it with your powers?" I asked Leo.

"Already tried that." He said.

I was beginning to see the tree line that ran along the edge of Camp. "There!" I said pointing to the trees. We were almost there, so close I could touch the last tree. Suddenly I didn't see Leo next to me, and I heard cursing behind me. I stopped. Leo was face down on the ground. "Leo!" I whispered, turning him over. He had a nasty gash above his eye, and he was losing blood fast. I helped him up, and we stumbled into camp.

The fire stopped at the border and seeped into the ground with a horrible wail. I noticed that Leo also had many scratches, especially on his arms. Breathing heavily, we both collapsed on the ground, unable to go any farther. I stared up at the stars scattered across the sky.

I heard voices: Annabeth, Percy, Chiron, and others. The last thing I remember was getting lifted onto a stretcher and carried away.

**Okay so I know this is short. I promise that my future chapters will be longer! I just thought this was a good place to stop. This first chapter was more like an intro to get everyone up to speed. My next chapter will be at least 1,000 words! **

**So tell me how you like it in a review. I love constructive criticism, and if you have any ideas for the story, I might just put them in there!**

**misty234**


	2. Chapter 2

Save My Life Again

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I knew for sure that I was in the infirmary. Judging from the amount of sunlight peeking through the windows, it was probably nine o'clock. I sat up on my cot, and pain shot up my spine. Slowly, I remembered everything that happened. _Leo! _I thought. Was he ok?

I turned and saw a cot next to mine. Laying on it was Leo. "Oh my gods!" I exclaimed as I jumped onto the bed. He grinned. "Hey Lizzy Lightning," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Great," I replied. "Now that I know you're alive."

"Good," he said. "I'm gonna go check in with Will Solace and get us out of here."

Before I knew it, Leo was sitting on my bed in the Zeus cabin. I was there too, organizing some books.

"So…" began Leo. "What do you think caused that fog?"

I stood up from my crouching position and found myself looking into the mirror on the wall. I saw my straight brown hair and the freckles dotted across my cheeks. I didn't really want to, but I looked at my eyes. They were a dark, almost black ,brown today. Not a good sign. See, my eyes change color with my future. This dark brown meant, well, nothing good. "I don't know," I answered. "But I have a feeling that it's nothing good. Look at my eyes."

Leo was the only person in the world who new about my ESP and changing eye color. Whenever the colors changed, I just told people that different types of light made my eyes look different. I turned and sat in front of him. He leaned towards me and looked into my eyes. "Holy Hephaestus," he said. "That's not good."

"It's not," I said. "My eyes were blue before the fog." Blue means neutral, and it's my natural eye color.

Leo pulled some pipe cleaners out of his pocket and started messing with them. "I just can't wrap my mind around that fog," He mumbled.

"I think it has to do with the underworld," I said. "Just the way it evaporated into the ground like that..." I trailed off.

Leo froze. His head snapped up. "Have you tried using your esp?" he asked."No," I said. "I can try. I've just been...nervous."

"You don't have to." he said.

"No," I took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

"Just concentrate," said Leo, taking my hand. That's kind of our thing when I use esp. It helps me focus. "I'm right here."

I closed my eyes.

At first I saw black. Then an orange light came into the picture. I saw monsters everywhere - infinite in all directions. Two stepped forward. One was a hellhound, the other... a Titan maybe? But he was twenty feet tall, with a white buzz cut. He was dressed in all black. "Donan," began the hellhound. "Kronos has fallen. Now the titans have created you to be their new master. The leader of all monsters, of all evil!"

"Very good," said Donan. "We will start with our biggest problem. The gods! We will eliminate all demigods. All but two. The son of Hephaestus and daughter of Zeus."

"Leo and Elizabeth, master." said the hellhound.

"Yes! They will be our servants. With her esp and his building skills, we will fool them into spreading evil!"

And it went black again.

I opened my eyes and let out a scream.

Leo stared at me, his eyes wide. "What happened?" he asked, squeezing my hand.

My chest moved up and down with my breathing. I never wanted to close my eyes again. Then I reminded myself that Leo was there, and it was just a vision. We were safe, for now at least.

I explained everything that I had seen. The monsters, the titan, everything. He was still holding my hand, which calmed me down. "He said he was going to use us Leo," I whispered. "What are we going to do?" I hid my face in my hands and let out a small sob.

"Hey." Said Leo, his voice quieter than usual. "Everything's gonna be ok. We're together, and I won't let any monsters hurt you." He whispered.

"Thanks Leo," I said, smiling. "You're the best friend I could ever have."

He grinned. "Right back at ya."

Leo and I walked to dinner and took our separate seats. Mac and cheese appeared on my plate. I rose and walked to the fire. "Dad," I mumbled, scraping some cheese into the fire. "Just… help me out." I turned and walked back to my table, sitting down again.

I didn't have much of an appetite, and finished eating quickly. I took a sharp breath as I felt something pull my leg. I looked under the table and saw Leo. "Psssst." He whispered. "PSST!" He whispered louder.

"What?" I asked.

"Come with me!" He said.

I slid out of my seat and power walked out of the mess hall. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, I beckoned Leo over. He ran over, and apparently he was excited, because he set himself on fire. Great way to not draw attention.

"What's wrong?" I questioned him.

"Do you have your weapon with you?"

I nodded.

"Good. We're going to the woods."

I didn't ask any questions. The sun started going down, and it got frigidly cold. Leo kept catching on fire though, which helped. Once we were at the edge of the woods, Leo stopped me. "Liz..." He started, looking into my eyes. "I just want you to know that, if this turns into something really dangerous... you were always the one that I knew I could go to. You're more than my best friend. You're a part of me. I love you Liz."

"I love you too, Leo. The gods themselves could've have found me a better friend."

Leo beamed. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. He was really warm. Leo evaporated heat for obvious reasons. He wrapped his arms around me protectively. I closed my eyes and relaxed in his arms. He rested his head on mine. I don't know how long we were there. Probably just a minute. If it was, it was the best minute of my life.

I really did love him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! So…. Yeah. Chapter 3. That's cool. How do you like it so far? Please please please tell me in a review! I can't tell if it's good or not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I ain't Rick Riordan.**

Save My Life Again

Chapter 3

After we were in the woods, Leo told me why he had brought me there. "So I saw this tree right? It was all black. I started thinking of-" he stopped. "Capture the flag, and I got excited. So I burst into flames! I touched the tree by accident, and nothing happened! It should have burnt to a crisp." He said, dodging a branch. "Look there it is!"

I don't think I've ever seen anything darker. If there was a color darker than black, the tree was that color. I reached out and touched the trunk. A searing coldness spread through my fingertips. "Ouch." I whispered, rubbing my hand.

Leo took my hand, and I instantly warmed up. "Thanks." I said smiling, and he let go.

"Watch this." He said, his arm engulfing itself in flames. He pressed it to the tree. It didn't react whatsoever. "See? Nothing!"

I got a bad thought. "You don't think this has something to do with Donan do you?" I asked nervously.

"Oh gods," mumbled Leo. "That's just what we need! A monster apocalypse started by man eating fog and cold trees!"

"I'm overjoyed by it also," I said sarcastically. "What do you think we should do?"

He pursed his lips. "We shouldn't tell anyone." He said. "Let's visit Rachel. We can ask her about it and find out where to go. Then we'll leave."

I thought about it. Usually three people would go on a quest, but I guess this wasn't really a quest. I knew it would be dangerous, and I'd have to be really careful about my esp. "Ok. Lets do it."

Leo and I walked through the woods. The weather had never been colder at camp, and I started to shake. Leo noticed, and slipped his arm around my waist. "Better?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah." I whispered.

After about ten minutes, we came across our first monster. It had no legs, and it looked like a ten-foot long cobra. As soon as Leo saw it, his grip on me tightened. His other hand burst into flames. He pointed it at the monster. "Get out of here." he said. His voice was so deep; I had never heard it like that. It sounded brave and, well, protective. It didn't bother me though - friends protect each other.

When the monster saw us, it roared and disappeared. Right into thin air. "It's starting," I whispered. "They're sending monsters to spy on us and kill our friends."

"Stupid, tatarus scum bags." mumbled Leo.

"We should get to Rachel before any more monsters find us." I said, slipping out of his arm. "Let's run."

So we ran all the way to camp. We made our way up the hill to the cave where Rachel lived. We shuffled into the cave, panting. Rachel had her back to us, and turned.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked.

"Rachel, we need your help," I said. I explained what had happened. My visions, the fog, everything. I told her how we needed her advice on where to go.

Green light appeared around us. "North," began Delphi. "You shall travel north to find the one who stands without a shrine."

I almost passed out. Those words… that phrase… I had heard that before, when I was ten years old. I had been in the Zeus cabin, reading Misty of Chincoteague. To me it was interesting, because the mortals didn't know that Misty was the great great grandfoal of Arion. Anyway, I started to get really lightheaded. I put down the book and looked around, wondering what caused me to become dizzy so fast. That's when it happened. Green mist filled the room. I was terrified, but too stunned to call for help. "Elizabeth Greene," rasped a voice. It seemed to come from everywhere, not just one person. "You are part of a major event. You shall travel north to find the one who stands without a shrine."

Snapping back to reality, I heard Leo mumbling. "Liz, that's the… the thing!" I guess he was talking about when I was ten. Yes, of course I had to tell him, so now he knew exactly was Delphi was talking about.

I grabbed his arm. "We need to get out of here." I said dragging him out of the cave. We ran down the hill, stopping by the Hephaestus cabin. Leo threw a change of clothes, electronics, and some other things in a backpack. His siblings asked what he was doing, but luckily he came up with a quick lie. "Chiron wants me and Liz to camp out in the woods tonight and, you know, guard." Said Leo.

I did the same thing at my cabin. I packed some clothes, food, drachmas, mortal money, more stuff. "How the heck are we going north anyway?" I asked. "I mean, we don't just have a tricked out minivan to get us there."

Leo thought for a moment. "I know!" he said, snapping his fingers. He pulled a small cube out of his backpack. It was bronze, with gold edges. On top of it was a small emerald, my favorite gem. "This is sort of like a molecular transporter."

After being friends with Leo for over seven years, I knew the basics about machines. What Leo was holding in his hands was extremely hard to craft. "Leo, how did you…" I started, bewildered.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Now all I have to do is press this emerald, and think of the place I want us to go. We'll be there in seconds."

"Awesome," I grinned. "Should we leave now?"

"I guess it's best to leave at night." Replied Leo.

To test the transporter, we chose to go to the edge of the woods. Thank the gods it worked!

I stared over the hill at the cabins and the big house. I had to admit, I was scared. I had left camp on several quests before, but this seemed really, really dangerous. I glanced at Leo, and he looked at me. He put his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We'll see camp again."

I nodded as tears stung my eyes. Leo's warmth was calming me down already, though. I was brave.

"You ready to go?" asked Leo.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm ready."

**Ooooooh what's gonna happen next? You're gonna have to read the next **


	4. Chapter 4

Save My Life Again

Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. I was busy. Stupid school!**

I dried my tears and took a deep breath. "Where should we go first?" I asked Leo. Delphi had said to go north, but that wasn't very specific. I knew that Alaska was a land beyond the gods, so it would be a great place to start a monster revolution.

"We shouldn't go far," said Leo. "We don't want to pass Donan's location."

"Right," I agreed. "How does Conneticiut sound?"

"Good choice," said Leo, turning the transporter in his hands. "We should, probably, um… hold hands. You know, to make sure that it takes both of us."

I smiled. "Yeah," I whispered, lacing my fingers through his. "Let's go."

Leo looked at the cabins in the distance. "See you soon, Camp Half Blood." He looked down and pressed the emerald on the transporter. Everything turned black. I still felt Leo next to me. I don't know for how long, but after a while, it wasn't so dark anymore. Our surroundings seemed to glow, and a flash of unbearable light hit us. When I opened my eyes, I was on the sidewalk of a busy street. Shops lined the pavement. I read one. "Best coffee of Connecticut."

I grinned and threw my arms around Leo. "You did it!" I exclaimed. "We're in Connecticut!"

Leo looked bewildered. "Yeah," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, we are!" he hugged me back.

It was still nighttime, but there were so many lights. I've been at Camp Half Blood for so long, sometimes I forget what the mortal world looks like. "We should find somewhere to stay." I said. "Let's start walking."

We walked past dozens of shops, all with different names. It was bitterly cold, but I barely felt it. Leo and I brushed shoulders, and I warmed up. I glanced into the sky at the clear sky. Stars were scattered around like glitter. A small dark shape danced through the sky, and then disappeared. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me. Just to be sure, I nudged Leo. "Did you just see that? I asked.

His eyes were also casted upwards. "Yeah," he said. "We'd better hurry."

Minutes later we found a large park. One area was surrounded by trees. "We could sleep there." I said. "It looks sorta safe."

"Can't wait to explore the creepy, dark, hidden area!" exclaimed Leo. "This should be fun."

Once we were inside the trees, I realized that the place wasn't so bad. There was a stream running through the clearing inside the trees. Good source of water. I started pulling my sleeping bag out of my backpack. It had kept me warm on some dangerous missions, but its warmth wasn't nearly as close to Leo. We smoothed our bags out on the ground. I laid down under the layer of blanket. Glancing at the sky again, I said a silent prayer. "Zeus," I said. "Please keep us safe."

I stared up at the sky. No matter what I tried, I could not sleep. I shifted to my side and faced Leo. I guess he was still awake, because his hand kept catching on fire.

"Liz," he whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." I said.

"I can't sleep." He said, rolling onto his side to face me. We were only inches away from each other, and I could feel his warmth.

"Neither can I." I replied.

"I didn't want to admit it but I'm scared. Terrified actually." He whispered.

"As long as we have each other, we'll be okay." I said quietly.

"You're right." He whispered.

I scooted closer to him, so my head was on his shoulder. He put his arm around me.

We stayed like that, laying awake for a long time. Leo turned and looked at me.

"What is it?" I asked him.

Before I could say anything else, he kissed me on the cheek. "Good night, best friend." He whispered.

"Good night, fireball." I said quietly.

And we both fell asleep.

Naturally, my dreams were horrible.

The first scene was Donan with all of the monsters. I saw the crowd split, and a telkine walked up to the Titan. "Sir?" He said in a squeaky voice.

"Yes?" Replied Donan.

"Would you like us to devour the other demigods at Camp Half Blood?

Donan scratched his chin. "Hmmm... No. First we will see if they are useful. If they aren't, you may devour them."

"Thank you master!" Screeched the telkine. Then he ran off.

My dream shifted. I saw several black figures in the sky, circling some trees. They had rubbery black wings, and yellowing teeth. Oh gods no… that was where Leo and I were asleep! One started to speak. Its voice sounded like shattering ice. "Let's just take them now!" it whispered.

"No," said one of the others. "Donan said to wait."

I woke with a start. Breathing heavily, I looked around. Nothing seemed to be wrong. My watch said 4:58.

Leo stirred and sat up. "What's wrong?" He asked.

I glanced up at the sky, only to see the monsters flying away. "Donan is still waiting for us," I began. "He sent monsters to spy on us overnight."

"What are we gonna do?" Asked Leo, fumbling with some twigs.

"Well, it's almost dawn," I said. "We should get moving soon." I said, looking around. I couldn't see anything dangerous, but I knew there was. I rose and started putting my sleeping bag into my backpack. Leo did the same. Pulling a canteen out out my bag, I turned to him. "I'm going to filter some water." I said, pointing to the stream. He nodded.

A shiver went down my spine. It was really, really cold. Before either of us had time to react, a mini snowstorm formed in front of Leo and I. A human like structure started to break away from the clouds. When the snow died down, I saw a woman with black hair and a white dress. She had a smug look on her face.

"Hello young demigods." She said. Leo's expression hardened, and his hand burst into flames. "Khione." He said through clenched teeth.

"Ah, hello Leo," she spoke in a sickly sweet voice, like she was too good for us. "Long time, no see."

"What do you want from us?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

"I want you to surrender to the winning side." She replied.

"The winning side?" I repeated.

"Donan," she said. "We don't need the other gods any longer. They have only been a disappointment. Donan has promised me great fortune for being his ally. I'm sure he would do the same for you."

This time Leo spoke up. "Do you really think that after everything you've done to me, I would let you take us?"

Khione sighed. "Then you have forced my hand." Before I knew what was happening, I was frozen in an icy trap.

Leo's eyes looked like fire. "Don't. Touch. Her." He whispered.

Khione smirked. "I do what I want. Do you really think that you can defeat _me?"_

"No," he said. "I know I can defeat you." Leo shot a comet-like ball of flames at her. Khione fell to the ground, her eyes flickering with fear. Leo formed a circle of flames around her. "Leave." He said.

Khione vanished into thin air.

Leo ran over to me. His hand caught fire and he started to melt my ice cage. After about three minutes, I was standing in a puddle of water. Leo wrapped his arms around me, and warmth overcame me. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Save My Life Again

Chapter 5

**Yeah… another long wait. Oh well. You guys have it now!**

Leo let go of me, and I smiled. "You're the best."

"I know," replied Leo, smirking. "We have to keep moving."

"Yeah," I agreed. "And we can't go too far."

Leo grinned. "You know… I've always wanted to see Maine."

"Good choice," I said. "Should we go now? It's almost seven A.M."

"Yeah." He replied, taking my hand. "Maine, here we come!"

Once again we were pulled into complete darkness. After several seconds, there was a flash of light. It dimmed to reveal a small town.

Before I knew it, we were standing on the edge of some woods, next to a road. There weren't any cars, and I was grateful. I smiled at Leo and dropped his hand. Pulling a compass out of my bag, I turned so it pointed north. "Ok," I said glancing at the compass. "It looks like we just follow this road, and we go north." The two of us started walking down the edge of the road. We must have looked like hobos, in muddy clothes alone on the street. A few more houses came into view, along with a coastline. "Portland," I said.

"How do you know?" Asked Leo, confused.

"My mom and I went here once, before, you know..." I trailed off, not able to speak. Leo put his arm around my shoulders.

Several months ago, Chiron had come to tell me that my mom had passed away. A building collapsed while she was in New York, and she was a victim. I had kept quiet about it, until Leo found me sobbing in a tree. After some convincing, he got me to tell him what was wrong. I didn't sleep in my cabin that night, not that anyone would notice. Leo and I stayed in the tree all night.

I heard a rumble and reached for my dagger. Leo burst out laughing. "Haha, sorry. Haven't eaten in a while." He said, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

I let out a small laugh. I knew I had to get myself together, I couldn't keep thinking about mom. I had to focus on defeating Donan, and possibly saving the world. But most of all, I had to save Camp Half Blood – and Leo.

Looking up the coastline, I saw a small diner. "We could try that place." I said, pointing up the beach.

Once we got to the diner, I realized just how hungry I was. We sat down next to a window. I ordered a hot turkey sandwich, my favorite.

"We need a plan," I said as I finished my sandwich. "There has to be a better place to sleep than in the woods."

"Agreed," replied Leo. "I think I saw a motel up the road. Should we go there?"

I thought about that. I had learned over the years to never trust anything outside of camp. Usually motels and small shops. But I was desperate and tired. So was Leo. "Yeah, we should."

The air was bitterly cold, so I knew we were getting closer to Donan. But the motel looked so warm and cozy. It wasn't anything fancy; just a small white building with light pink curtains. It had stairs leading up to a wooden porch, with wicker chairs and footrests. Flowerpots lined the porch. It reminded me of one of the cabins from camp, and I felt a pang of homesickness.

As we got closer, I noticed a middle-aged woman sitting in one of the chairs. When we approached the stairs, she grinned and stood. She was wearing a mint green T-shirt that said 'flower power!' Her necklace had a small daisy pendant hanging from its chain. "Welcome!" she greeted. I wasn't sure if she was a monster or not. Usually monsters were friendly before they ripped your head off. "Are you two on a quest?" she asked.

Leo and I glanced at each other. "Uhhh…"

"Don't worry," she whispered, leaning in. "I'm a daughter of Demeter."

I could believe that.

Apparently, the daughter of Demeter's name was Dotty, and she had trained at Camp Half Blood years ago. She owned a small bed and breakfast motel for traveling demigods. When we asked why there were never any monster attacks, she said: "Enchanted borders, just like camp."

We sat down and had some tea with Dotty, who told us about her past quests. She had been on five. We explained our 'quest' to her also.

By the time we were done talking, it was around eight o' clock pm. Dotty led us to our room on the second floor. It had two beds, and one window overlooking the town. The beds looked just like mine at camp.

Leo and I got ready for bed. I changed into a black shirt and neon green pajama pants. Leo wore a red shirt and black pajama pants. I climbed into my bed, the one next to the window. I pulled a book, _Catch a Fallen Star_, out of my backpack and began to read by flashlight. I glanced at Leo and saw him in bed, staring up at the ceiling. I decided I needed to get some sleep for the next day, and set down my book. Laying down, I went through my to – do list for tomorrow. We would have to leave early, head upstate…

In the midst of all my stress, I realized just how tired I was. I closed my eyes, and the dreams came.

I was in Donan's lair once again, with the endless group of monsters. This time, I saw him crouched next to a large machine. It was a least thirty feet tall, and looked like a giant, black toaster oven. The Titan was tinkering with some buttons and switches near the bottom of the machine.

The telkhine that I had seen in my previous dream scampered up to him. "Hello, lord Donan!" he squeaked. "The demigods are almost here. We're making impeccable progress, sir!"

Donan nodded slowly without looking up from the giant machine. "Gather your friends and split my army into groups. Station them at different locations in my lair. We need to be prepared for these puny half bloods."

The scene shifted, and I was back at camp. I was near the border, where campers sometimes met for a quest. A loud rumble came from the trees, as if a skyscraper had just collapsed. I looked closer and saw dozens of monsters, hellhounds, empousai, and more. They came right through barrier, as if it was nothing. They charged to the cabins, armed with clubs and Greek fire. Campers scattered in all directions, taken off guard by the sudden attack. I tried to run or find a weapon, but I couldn't move.

My dream changed one last time. I was in a small, dark room with a strange, orange glow. I knew right away that I was in Donan's palace again. I saw Leo standing near me, although I new I wasn't visible. His eyes were wide, and he was watching the walls like they were his biggest enemy. "No," he mumbled. "No!"

Just as he finished the word, the walls exploded around us. I searched frantically, but I couldn't find him. I collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down my face. I felt so helpless, so alone.

I woke up and began to cry. Crying doesn't really do it justice – it was heartbroken sobbing. Seeing Leo die and not being able to do anything was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me. I hid my face in my pillow and cried into it. I was just about to stop balling my eyes out when warm arms wrapped around me, turning me over. I found myself nose to nose with Leo.

"Liz," he whispered, laying down next to me. "What happened?"

I wiped a tear from my cheek and told him about my dream. "I just don't want you to die."

Leo hugged me again. "I won't die. I can't die knowing that I would be without you. Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. I would still be afraid of everything. You gave me hope when I thought that it was lost. Is dying any way to thank you for that?"

I sat up and looked at him. "Thank you," I said. "For everything."

Leo sat up so he was facing me. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

I was silent.

"Because I do."

**Thanks for reading guys! Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow… it's been months. Sorry guys, a lot has happened since I last updated. I've just been suuuuper busy. But I'll try to keep these updates coming, because I like this story. As always, R&R please ****J**

Leo and I ended up sleeping in the same bed that night. Nothing happened! Just friends! But we just needed each other. It was comforting to have him next to me. I woke up to my alarm at seven o' clock A.M. Leo's arms were wrapped around me, my face buried in his chest. I smiled to myself and rolled onto my side, turning off my alarm. "Lee." I whispered.

"Yeah Liz?" He murmured groggily, his eyes still closed.

"We have to get up." I said, patting his strong arm.

Leo sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are you feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah," I answered with a small smile. "Thanks Leo." I got up and started to gather up some of my things.

Leo leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I don't wanna leave this place. I don't wanna have to try and save the world like we do every day. I just want to have a break. Just you and me, for one day, normal teenagers. It would be great."

"I wish we could have that too," I agreed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "But right now, we have to save the world, whether we like it or not."

"I know," he said turning to face me. "Maybe, when this is over, things will be a little more normal."

I smiled. "Hopefully." I stood up again. "Now get dressed partner, we're wasting valuable world saving time."

Leo grinned. It was reassuring to see that mischievous Leo grin again. "You got it."

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me to get changed. I hesitantly looked in the mirror at my eyes. They were a deep, emerald green. That was odd… green usually meant love. I hadn't seen the green since the last time I was with my mom. Maybe it was the lighting.

After I got changed I walked out of the bathroom, only to find shirtless Leo searching through basically every bag in the room. I've seen Leo shirtless before, but wow… he had some serious abs. I forced my eyes to meet his. "Have you seen my pants?" He asked, and I laughed.

"In the bathroom where you left them." I replied.

"Thanks." Leo walked past me to the bathroom, but stopped before he reached it. He turned and looked at me with a confused expression, and took a few steps closer to me. "Your eyes," he began. "They're green. I don't think I've ever seen them green before. What does that mean?"

I didn't want to say love. "It's. umm… kind of neutral." I lied.

"Oh." He said. "That's good then, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Cool." He said, and went to get changed.

Close one. It probably wasn't love anyway. I didn't love anyone like that, right? Oh well. I didn't have time to think about that. "Leo?" I called through the bathroom door.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go downstairs and get a water bottle or something. You want anything?"

"I'll have some water."

"Okay, I'll be right back." I replied, and left the room to go downstairs. As soon as I closed the door behind me, a beautiful woman appeared. I knew in a minute who it was. "Aphrodite?" I said, bewildered and a bit confused.

She smiled. "Yes, Elizabeth, that's me!" She squealed. "Green eyes I see. Love is in the air!"

"What are you doing here?" I questioned. I had seen Aphrodite come to Piper and Annabeth several times before, but that was only when… "Oh no," I said with realization. "No. No, no, no, no. You think I'm in love with Leo, don't you?"

"Dear, I know you're in love with Leo."

"You've got it all wrong," I argued. "My eyes are green because… because…" I struggled to find something to say. "Because I love him as a friend."

Aphrodite tried and failed to hide her laugher. "Oh, don't waste time on foolish excuses Elizabeth. You cannot deny it! You two have a love stronger than most." She looked around before adding: "Stronger than most of the major gods, to say the least."

I scrambled for something to say. "Okay… look." I began. "Even if I did love Leo, well, like that, he wouldn't feel the same way about me. I know he loves me as a friend but… nothing more."

Aphrodite shook her head. "Zeus was right."

"Dad?" I asked, a bit surprised. What did my father have to say about me?

"He said you were stubborn. He was correct."

I chuckled. "That's true." Just then, the door of our hotel room opened, and Leo strolled out.

"Hey Liz, I thought I heard you talking to someone out here and–" He stopped in his tracks and stared at Aphrodite, who smirked at him. "Nope." He said as he rushed back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Same." I mumbled under my breath.

Aphrodite laughed. "Oh, you two are perfect for each other, really. It's not going to be easy; you're both incredibly important to the situation at hand. You've seen that with Percy and Annabeth – their love story is so powerful, because even though they are always fighting something dangerous, they love each other through everything. You and Leo are quite similar."

I glanced back at the door, making sure that Leo wasn't listening. "Do you… do you think we really love each other… more than friends?"

"I'm a million percent sure. Now, I must be going. Athena probably needs help with her eyeliner." She gave me a light kiss on the forehead. "And Elizabeth," she whispered. "I know you are not one to rely on love, but you can't run from the fact that it's meant to be." And she vanished.

I sighed and looked back at the door. After a moment of silence, I heard Leo.

"Is she gone yet?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Yeah, she's gone."

He came into the hallway and shut the door behind him. "Thank the gods. What did she want anyway?"

I had to tell him the truth. Actually, did I? It would only make things awkward, and I didn't want that to happen. But what could I say? Aphrodite doesn't just randomly show up because she wants to talk about your day. It's always something important. "Oh she just…" Just what?! "She was just in the area, and came to fangirl over us. She thought we would be a 'cute couple.' She must have been high or something."

His expression was hard to read. "What? She's crazy."

"I know, right?" I agreed. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get that water."

"I'll come with you." Downstairs, there were several vending machines with various snacks and beverages in them. I paid two dollars for the water bottles, and got a couple of energy bars for us to start the day with.

"So where do we go next?" Asked Leo.

"I'm not really sure." I replied. It was hard to tell at this point, because we had already traveled pretty far north.

"Maybe we should just travel without my transporter now? It's not worth going that far." He pointed out.

"Good idea." I replied.

Dotty entered the room. "Good morning you two!" She said cheerily. "Are you going to keep traveling this morning?"

"Yep," replied Leo. "We're pretty much all over the place."

I picked at my nails. "I wish we could stay here. We're going to miss you, Dotty."

She gave us a sad smile. I couldn't imagine how sad it was to get attached to a few demigods, only to see them leave, and probably never come back. Some of them most likely died, and she never knew what happened to them. "Oh, don't worry about that," she said, beaming. "You two have a quest to finish!"

Leo and I packed up our belongings in our room. There wasn't really much to pack. Once we were downstairs again, we said goodbye to Dotty. "If you-" she corrected herself. "_When_ you come back from your quest, try to visit."

I smiled and hugged her. "Thank you, Dotty. We'll visit."

And with that, Leo and I stepped off the porch to continue our journey.


End file.
